Colonisation Characterised IN Columbus PDF

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Colonisation Characterised In Columbus’ Diaries 1

COLONISATION CHARACTERISED IN COLUMBUS’ DIARIES By

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Colonisation Characterised In Columbus’ Diaries 2 Colonisation characterised in Columbus’ diaries The Americas’ colonisation by the Europeans was the process through which European colonists occupied the regions of South, Central and North America, as well as the Caribbean islands. Similarly, it is recognised as the direct cause for replacement and even eradication of the cultures of the different indigenous people of these regions at first between 1492-1620 CE. As more Europeans moved to this New world, they required more land, gradually pushing the Native onto reservations as the settlers expanded their settlements. However, European colonisation is often cited as started with Christopher Columbus (l. 1451-1506 CE) whose expeditions to South and Central America, the West Indies, and other Caribbean islands between 1492-1504 CE presented the supposed New World to European interests. The interests were sparked by his writing or diaries of his expedition, portraying the New world as needing colonisation. As a result, Columbus sails opened the way for Spanish settlers to colonise the areas he explored, later leading to the Spanish Conquest of South and Central America. Therefore, tis paper will discuss how Columbus’ diaries characterised te process of colonisation and how can we critique this perspective. First, the process of colonisation can be seen from Columbus’ letter to Luis De Sant Angel, a strong supporter of his expeditions, which is the initial accounts of the “New World.” Columbus starts his letter by saying: "As I know you will be pleased at the great victory with which Our Lord has crowned my voyage, I write this to you" (Columbus, Ife, Penny, and Bartolomé de las 1492). Essentially, according to Campbell (2018), Columbus is arguing that he is certain that God has crowned his voyage as a great victory. In this quote, it is evident that he really believes he had discovered something big and perfect, and this had surpassed what he thought was possible or ever expected. In his diaries, he depicts the island as a Utopia, which had

Colonisation Characterised In Columbus’ Diaries 3 everything a colonist or explorer is looking for. Repeatedly, he appears to depict the New world as appropriate for future colonisation (Campbell 2018). Furthermore, Columbus states, "In it there are many harbors on the coast of the sea, beyond comparison with others which I know in Christendom, and many rivers, good and large, which is marvelous.” According to Jara and Spadaccini (1989), he is talking about how the Americas’ coast would make for good harbors, which was vital to explorers since sea ports and harbors made traveling and trading easy for the people at the time. Similarly, Columbus talks of the many rivers, which could be utilised as a source of travel, water, and food, which are important for civilisation (Keen 1992). Columbus furthers records that "All are most beautiful, of a thousand shapes, and they are accessible and filled with trees of a thousand kinds and tall, and they seem to touch the sky" (Columbus, Ife, Penny, and Bartolomé de las 1492). He is marveling at the scenery of the Americas sa well as all it offered and seem to be stunned by the beauty of the tall , green trees and mountain ranges. Secondly, colonisation is characterised by Columbus in 1492 when he set foot on the Bahamian Island of Guanahani (Klooster, 1991). He come across the Tainos, he describes in his diaries as "naked as the day they were born" (Columbus, Ife, Penny and Bartolomé de las 1492). It is worth noting that the Taíno had established complex hierarchical systems, social, religious and political. The Tainos were accomplished navigators and agriculturalists, they wrote poetry and music and developed expressive items (Olson and Bourne 1967). By the time of the exploration of Columbus, the Taíno people were the largest native group in the Caribbean, occupying the present-day the Virgin Islands, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic (Olson and Bourne 1967). However, by the 1550s, these group was almost extinct, most succumbing to illnesses brought by the Spanish explorers. Following his first

Colonisation Characterised In Columbus’ Diaries 4 voyage in the transatlantic, Columbus sent a diary of his encounters to Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain. According to Campbell (2018), many copies of the text were meant for court administrators, with a copy being published in April 1493. While reporting on his daily activities during trip to his sovereigns in the Epistola Christofori Colom, Columbus wrote: There I found very many islands, filled with innumerable people, and I have taken possession of them all for their Highnesses, done by proclamation and with the royal standard unfurled, and no opposition was offered to me.(Columbus). Thirdly, in 1493 when her returned to Hispaniola, Columbus come with 1,200 men and 17 ships, however, there was little gold left. He wrote in his diary, " they roamed the island in gangs looking for gold, taking women and children as slaves for sex and labor” (Columbus, Ife, Penny and Bartolomé de las 1492). Similarly, he wrote in 1500 stating that “there are many dealers who go about looking for girls; those from nine to 10 are now in demand.” Because of gold had diminished, the Spaniards created the “Practice of Tribute” (Columbus, Ife, Penny and Bartolomé de las 1492). This obligated all Indian males to bring a specific quantity of gold every 90 days or be executed. Before war, reading The Requerimento was both unintelligible to the indigenous people and was utilised as a strategy to manipulate them. It stated that Indian natives were the Spanish Crown’s subjects and could be tortured if resistant (Giucci 1987). When the native population reduced, the Spaniards captured individuals from different regions, for instance, the Lucayan, to slave in the Hispaniola mines. According to estimates, from the arrival of Columbus to the late 19th century, from 2.5 to 5 million indigenous people had been enslaved (Campbell 2018). Native people were forced to work in sparsely populated areas, in toxic silver or gold mines or in households.

Colonisation Characterised In Columbus’ Diaries 5 Lastly, this is a comfortable image to Americans of European descent, however, it lessens the effect of his disastrous legacy on the indigenous Americans. In essence, a majority of history books do not argue that Columbus was the first European to bring colonisation and slavery to the Americas. However, this can be found in his dearies. For instance, two days following his ''discovery'' of America, Columbus stated that, with only 50 Spaniards he would force ''the entire population be taken to Castile, or held captive'' (Columbus, Ife, Penny and Bartolomé de las 1492). Indeed, during Columbus’ second voyage, he captured about 1,500 Tainos, taking them to Isabela. There, about 550 of ''the best males and females'' were put on vessels and shipped to Seville’s slave market. Under the leadership of Columbus, the Spaniards attacked the Taino, killing children, women and, men. Within 30 years, disease, starvation, forced labor, and warfare reduced Taino population to extinction (Klooster 1991). From his diaries, many Europeans and Americans believe that the legacy of Columbus is a benevolent one, that of ''discovery'' and advancement, celebrated by white sales, carnivals and holidays. However, for others the legacy of Columbus is of slavery, colonialism, as well as the destruction of cultures and people (Klooster 1991). However, the perspective that Columbus diaries characterised the process of colonisation can be critiqued based on the fact that the original manuscript, and any other copies that could have been made have disappeared. Apparently, Columbus’ son, Ferdinand, worked either from a copy or the original to write his father's biography, introducing verbatim passages from journal of Columbus through his accounts of the first expedition (Klooster 1991). Similarly, Bartolomé de Las Casas composed a profoundly modified summary of Columbus’ text and when later disputed, broadly borrowed from to write the first portion of Historia de las Indias (1527-c. 1563). Thus, through the biography of Ferdinand, Las Casas's history, and the Diario

Colonisation Characterised In Columbus’ Diaries 6 Columbus's diario reaches contemporary audience in fragments. the Diario is perhaps the most complete version of the original manuscript that has survived to date (Olson and Bourne 1967). Furthermore, the perspective can be critiqued since for at least four centuries, access to the Columbus’ personal impression of his first expedition has only been possible through his son’s versions of them, particularly, by Las Casas. Most importantly, this means that the accounts are biased in support of Columbus (Olson and Bourne 1967). This is because two were interested Columbus’ readers. For instance, Ferdinand was tangled in lawsuit associated with the succession of his father’s titles and plundered the diarios seeking to emphasise his father’s heroic and unique achievements. When Las Casas was composing his summary, he was engrossed in a lifetime of literary and political campaign of defending the right of the conquered and promoting their evangelisation. Lastly, a comparison of the letter of 4 March with the letter to Santángel suggest that the latter underwent literary revisions when being published. Largely, better organised and more succinct than the royal version, the Santángel manuscript summarises different paragraphs that are elaborate in the original letter to Ferdinand and Isabella (Jara and Spadaccini 1989). Lastly, many of the revisions on Columbus’ journals appear to have been made to resolve contradictions or ambiguities in the 4 March manuscript. For instance, in Columbus’ letter to Santángel, a paragraph describing his actions and predicaments in Cuba and an explanation of his decision to end the exploration of what he believed to be the mainland is different from the 4 March letter both in its wording and the greater extent of details it provides on the actions and thought of Columbus (Jara and Spadaccini 1989). Therefore, due to these discrepancies, the perspectives that the process of colonisation is characterised in Columbus’ diaries is disputed.

Colonisation Characterised In Columbus’ Diaries 7 In conclusion, the diaries of Columbus provide a description of his activities, the landscape, the people he met and what he thought about them. As a result, there is a general understanding that these diaries and journals characterises the process of colonisation. These can be seen, for instance, in his letter to Luis De Sant Angel Santángel, queen Isabela and king Ferdinand, his descriptions of the Bahamian Island of Guanahani, descriptions of his second voyage, and the accounts of his discoveries. However, these perspectives can be critiqued based on the fact that access to the Columbus’ personal impression of his first expedition has only been possible through his son’s versions of them, particularly, by Las Casas. The original manuscript disappeared and most of what is available is the writing of his son who at this time was involved in lawsuits related to the succession of his admiralty. Therefore, most of these accounts are biased in support of Columbus legacy.

Colonisation Characterised In Columbus’ Diaries 8 References Campbell, M. B. (2018). The witness and the other world: Exotic European travel writing, 400–1600. Cornell University Press. Columbus, C., Ife, B. W., Penny, R. J., & Bartolomé de las, C. (1492). Journal of the first voyage =; (Diario del primer viaje) : 1492 / ChristopherColumbus ; edited and translated with an introduction and notes by B.W. Ife ;together with an essay on Columbus's language by R.J. Penny. pp. 2--3, 26--43. Giucci, G. (1987). The conquest of America: From the marvelous to the exotic. Jara, R., & Spadaccini, N. (1989). 1492-1992: Re/discovering colonial writing. University of Minnesota Press. Keen, B. (1992). The life of admiral Christopher Columbus by his son Ferdinand. Klooster, W. (1991). Christopher Columbus, Journal of the first voyage (Diario del primer viaje) 1492. Edited and translated, with an introduction and notes by B.W. Ife. Warminster (Aris & Phillips Ltd.) 1990. ISBN 0-85668-351-5. Itinerario, 15(2), 121121. doi:10.1017/s0165115300006422 Markham, C. R. (1893). The Journal of Christopher Columbus (During His First Voyage), and Documents Relating to the Voyages of John Cabot and Gaspar Corte Real. Retrieved from https://www.americanyawp.com/reader/the-new-world/journal-ofchristopher-columbus/ Olson, J. E., & Bourne, E. G. (1967). The northmen, Columbus and Cabot, 985-1503: The voyages of the norseman edited by Julius E. Olson [and] the voyages of Columbus and of John Cabot edited by Edward Gaylord Bourne....